[031] giving in to the hunger

                                        Courtney couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen. And as fucked up as it sounded, Courtney's curiosity towards what has happened to Jackie's forearm bled into something akin to hunger. It had been so long since any of them had properly eaten that she realized just how desperate she was to eat anything.

                                        The darkness had always been within her, and Courtney found herself battling with her monstrous urges. But the longer she was out here in this wilderness, it grew more and more impossible for her to try and hide it.

                                        Courtney was currently sitting up while the others were sleeping. She stared at the front door to the cabin but really, she was thinking about Jackie's body which was still outside. She was hypnotized by the sound of the wind outside which almost seemed to be talking to her. It was slowly getting into her head, preparing her for -.

                                        "Courtney?" Suki softly calls her name.

                                        She snaps out of it, looking over to Suki who sat up and was seemingly waiting for her. Even though Suki had tried her best to get some sleep, she couldn't. For the first time in a long time, Suki couldn't sleep and dream. She was restless, seemingly on edge for some reason. She'd get up and begin walking towards the kitchen area. Courtney glances over at the door once more before she joins Suki's side, hugging her girlfriend close.

                                        "Did you miss me?" Courtney teased. "Were you unable to sleep without me?"

                                        Suki rolled her eyes. "Bold of you to think you're special enough to make me lose sleep."

                                        "I think I'm pretty special to you. After all, you're madly in love with me," Courtney says as she holds her close.

                                        "Whatever," is all Suki says.

                                        "Come on, I wanna hear you say it," Courtney persisted. "Tell me how much you love me."

                                        Suki looks up at Courtney then, meeting Courtney's red eyes as she said. "I love you, Courtney. I love you so much. It feels like we're one person. Like... I can feel everything that you feel."

                                        "What do you feel right now?" Courtney questioned.

                                        "I feel... hunger. Desire," Suki says, resting her hand on Courtney's chest while she focused in on her breathing.

                                        "What's the difference?" Courtney inquired. Although she could only really focus on Suki's warm touch on her skin.

                                        "I don't think there's much of a difference. Both are the same if you allow it to be," Suki shakes her head.

                                        Her hand travels up to Courtney's neck, her fingers lightly curling around her throat. For a moment, Courtney thinks that Suki would choke her. Maybe a part of her wanted Suki to choke her. But Suki chooses to kiss her instead, all while her hand lingers on her neck. Courtney kisses her back and it quickly escalates in passion. Courtney's hands would begin creeping underneath her shirt.

                                        It had been far too long since they had been able to get this close. Courtney appreciated the power and respect Suki was growing to have. But it felt as though she had to share her with everyone else. Sometimes, Courtney missed on having Suki this close to her and she wanted to have her all to herself.

                                        Courtney wanted to possess Suki, she wanted to own her, she wanted to devour her. If anything, she just wanted to love Suki forever and ever.

                                        But something would interrupt their passionate make out session. And it'd be a scent. Courtney had smelled it first, pulling away from Suki who was still holding onto her. Courtney was unsure as to whether she was going crazy or not but she was smelling actual food. It was like meat that had just come out of the oven, sweet and savory and warm.

                                        Eventually, the scent would reach Suki too. She'd hold onto Courtney's hand as they began to make their way towards the front door. The others had seemingly managed to wake up from their slumber, creeping towards the front door. Shauna was in front of them all, making it down the porch steps slowly and deliberately.

                                        They all made their way outside, seeing the pyre which has been burnt. The once bright flames were now nothing more than smoke rising in the cold, night air. But the most important part of it all was Jackie's body. She was no longer a cold, stiff corpse. By now, her skin had been cooked from the fire, the snow seemingly managing to cook her down just in time so that she didn't turn to ash.

                                        Suki knew that it had been the wilderness's doing.

                                        Suki is reminded of their dream as they all walked towards Jackie's body, surrounding her completely. Courtney's stomach instantly growled at the sight and she realized just how hungry she was. Courtney could also hear Shauna's stomach growl in hunger and as she rested a hand on her growing stomach, she looked down at Jackie before saying, "She wants us to."

                                        Suki couldnt help but agree. This was Jackie's purpose. She had died so they could survive the wilderness. Shauna pulls out her hunting knife and slices a part of Jackie's body with it. She examined it for a moment and Suki looked around for a moment before she was suddenly transported back to her dream.

                                        They were all seated at the same long table, dressed up like gods and goddesses in their soft robes and jewelry. They were all wearing crowns on their heads, made out of branches and even ivy. All of them looked healthy and beautiful, their skin glowing like they were divine beings.

                                        Jackie's body was gone and replaced with a buffet of delicious food. Courtney could even see it, her mouth watering at the sight of all the bread and meat. Courtney could only focus on the meat, her lips parted open in anticipation.

                                        Now the dream had suddenly made sense. It meant that she and others were going to be eating Jackie, the Wilderness providing a way for them to eat and survive.

                                        All of them were hesitant but also... very hungry. They all wanted to dig in but they knew that it wasn't their call. They wouldn't be able to go until Shauna said they could. So they all continued to watch her, holding their breath and waiting for Shauna to allow them to move.

                                        Suki looked over at Shauna, seeing the piece of meat in her hand suddenly turn into a strawberry. She looked at it a moment longer before she bit into it, ravenously eating the fruit while the crimson colored juices ran down her fingers like blood. Suki didn't realize that it was actually Jackie's blood which continued to stain her hands.

                                        Jackie's blood was now about to stain all of their hands.

                                        When Shauna ate, the others began to follow suit. Suki couldn't control herself as she started feasting on the food before her. Courtney dug right in, feeling the juices of wine run down her chin while she focused on taking as much meat as possible. Suki grabbed some fruit, even going to feed Courtney. Courtney would be quick to return the favor, making sure to take care of Suki as well.

                                        The more they ate, the more they abandoned restraint and control. They were absolutely ravenous, savoring as much as they could while they still had it. Courtney fed Suki another strawberry before she kissed her, and Suki instantly kissed her back in delight. There was no reason to be afraid or scared, especially since the wilderness was basically rewarding them for what they had done. The Wilderness promised and it had delivered.

                                        But as they continued to eat, they were unaware of Coach Scott watching them in horror. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The very team he had coached had now turned into hungry monsters, tearing Jackie's body apart and eating it. He couldn't believe his eyes but he had no clue that this was only just the beginning.

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                                        In the morning, it seemed as though all of them had managed to sober up. Natalie was seated on the steps, rocking back and forth as she stared at Jackie's corpse. Or rather, the bloodied mess which remained on top of the funeral pyre. Courtney was also outside, but she wasn't nearly as horrified. She just looked at Jackie's body, or rather, the bones that remained with blood still dripping down.

                                        She was used to seeing the insides of an animal but she had never seen a human's insides before. It truly seemed to be the same. Humans really weren't that different from animals. Both could be prey, if they were put into the same situation.

                                        Suki didn't feel guilty either. But she could see why Nat was so shaken up. A part of her wanted to try and comfort Natalie. But she was Natalie's biggest enemy and besides, there was nothing Suki really could say that'd be able to justify what they had done. They had needed to do this to survive and as long as they did what they were told, the wilderness would take care of them.

                                        "Are you okay?" Suki questioned as she made her way over to where Courtney stood, wrapping her arms around her body.

                                        Courtney nods. "I'm fine. I don't feel hungry anymore. And I have you to thank."

                                        "Me?" Suki blinks.

                                        "You knew this would happen. You said it would. You and Lottie helped us," Courtney smiles.

                                        "I... I don't think I had much to do with it. If anything, I'm just here to carry out its message. I understand now why I couldn't save Jackie. It's because she was meant to take care of us. Everything and everyone has a purpose," Suki replied.

                                        "Well, what's mine?" Courtney questioned.

                                        "I think you were meant to protect me," Suki answered. Courtney had always been there for her, protecting her as much as she could. As much as she hurt her, Courtney was right there to build her back up and hurt anyone else who dared to even lay a finger on her.

                                        "Yeah, I think so too," Courtney agreed.

                                        Just then, the door to the cabin opened up and Taissa walked out. She looked horrified by the sight of Jackie's corpse, her eyes wide with fear.

                                        "What the fuck? What the fuck is that?" Taissa asked as she walked over to Jackie's body, "What the fuck? What happened? What happened to Jackie?!"

                                        "Tai! It's okay, Tai, it's okay," Van rushes to comfort her girlfriend.

                                        "Something - something ate her, something -," Taissa tried to get out, shaking her head quickly as she started to hyperventilate. It seemed as though she had managed to forget what they had all done last night.

                                        "Taissa... we ate her," Van explained.

                                        "No, I... I - I didn't, I wouldn't -," Taissa tried to argue, looking at Natalie and even Suki. But none of them would say anything. If anything, their silence confirmed the horrifying truth.

                                        "You were sitting right next to me, Tai," Van continued, remaining calm as she tried to break the truth to Taissa.

                                        Taissa turned away from Jackie's body and began to gag, making Courtney turn to look at her. At this point, she didn't get why Taissa just couldn't accept it. Why feel shame for survival?

                                        "I must have - I must have been sleep walking. Was I asleep? Was I asleep?" Taissa argued. It seemed more and more like Taissa was trying to convince herself more than anything else.

                                        "You talked to me. You were looking right at me. You really don't remember?" Van responded as she knelt beside her girlfriend. "Tai, you ate her face."

                                        Misty had waked out by now, sharing a look with Courtney. They didn't feel an ounce of guilt over what they had done. But once Taissa started trying to throw up again, Misty started heading in her direction. Courtney's unmoved when Taissa started to scream, just turning back around to look at Jackie's body again with a cold, unflinching expression on her face.

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word count: 2023
notes: i hope this was alright! i'm writing all of this on my phone instead of my laptop because my laptop is broken and i'm waiting to get a new one. anyways, tell me all what you thought and the next chapter will be up soon!